I am not a teenager anymore and have a difficult time putting myself into the heads of anyone who is. I grew up in a very different time and the idea of having cutting edge phones and your entire life including social life being based on what it is that you do on social media just seems so bizarre to me. I'm not going to be one of those "back in my day" people because yes, I guess things change and when video games first hit the scene when I was a kid I am sure our parents though that it was crazy that we spent so much time on these machines instead of outdoors.
My own life aside, I nearly never decide to watch these teenage films and if it weren't for the trailer that prominently featured Woody Harrelson, I probably wouldn't have.
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This is yet another coming of age teenage film and we all know there are plenty of those out there already. I don't know what it is called, but some of the action is narrated at the beginning by the main character "Nadine" (Hailee Steinfeld). She has the usual outcast issue that once again, is nothing new in films or TV and her older brother is attractive, athletic, smart, and loved by everyone at school - this character is also nothing new to the teenage drama genre.
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What I suppose is kind of unusual is that Nadine's best and kind of only friend who she has had since 2nd grade or something like that ends up dating her brother after a small drunk party that is held at Nadine's house. Nadine not-so-secretly envies and loathes her brother and at first she tries to hang out with them both, but realizes very quickly that her friend's attention is almost entirely focused on her brother.
So Nadine goes on a bit of a mid teens crisis including attempting to become promiscuous but that idea kind of falling flat. She also, in her trials to become popular or at least relevant in her school ends up ignoring the advances of someone who is genuine and is a super nice guy.
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This is all very typical and easily predictable but in the middle there is some really good comedy built in as Nadine is extremely clever and at least initially comfortable with her outcast status kind of in a Juno type way.
The real star of the film is Woody Harrelson for me as he plays a role that you wouldn't normally see him in as a high school teacher with just the right level of cynicism that Nadine is able to connect with. The moments that Nadine goes to him for guidance are the best moments in the film.
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Unfortunately Woody is only in about 10 minutes of the film total, but now that I have had some time to think about it, if he was in more of that the "i don't really give AF teacher" schtick would probably wear thin if he was in much more of it.
Should I watch it?
Even though this film is clearly directed towards young adults and teens, I found it very enjoyable and even a bit endearing at times as far as the importance of family is concerned. These sort of touching moments hit me right in the feels and while that is not the central theme of this movie, it is there as part of the overall plot.
This is not a slapstick comedy, it isn't a dark comedy, I wouldn't even say it is a full on comedy. It is a drama with a few comedic yet nicely executed moments. I went into this film presuming i would turn it off after just 10 minutes or so but it turned out to be one of the more captivating films I have seen in recent times.
